Update:
Swedish police have arrested a man in connection to the deadly truck attack, which killed at least four people.
Police told reporters that the man – who was picked up in a northern Stockholm suburb near to the city’s international airport – matched the description of a person of interest whose photo authorities had previously released.
“We went public with information and a picture of a person that we were interested in. The person who is arrested resembles that description which means we have particular interest in him in regard to the ongoing investigation,” regional police official Jan Evensson said at a news conference.
Multiple reports claim the man has confessed to the carrying out the attack, however this is yet to be confirmed by police.
Previously…
A stolen truck has ploughed into a crowd of people before crashing into an upscale department store, killing at least four and injuring a further eight in what officials are calling a terrorist attack.
The incident unfolded in the heart of Stockholm at the Ahlens department store on Drottninggatan – the biggest pedestrian street in the nation’s capital – on Friday afternoon.
“Sweden has been attacked. All indications are that it was a terrorist attack,” Prime Minister Stefan Lofven said in a statement.
He added: “I encourage everyone to be vigilant and to pay attention to the information from the police.”
Swedish police said the suspect remains at large but have released a photograph of a man wearing a hoodie sought in connection for questioning.
They have asked for the public’s help in sharing the photo, saying: “We want to get in touch with this man.”
Officials said they are unsure whether the attack was an isolated event or whether more attacks are to come.
They added that reports of multiple shootings across different parts of the city have been received, but these claims are yet to be confirmed.
The truck used in the attack is believed to have been hijacked earlier in the day from a Swedish brewery, according to reports.
“We have the car and contact to the person that usually drives the car. But we don’t have contact to the person, or persons, that drove it [during the attack],” head of the Swedish police Dan Eliasson, said during a press conference.
The company who owns the vehicle, Spendrups, has also commented on the event.
“It is one of our delivery trucks. In connection with a delivery to a restaurant called Caliente, someone jumped into the truck and drove it away while the driver was unloading his delivery,” a company spokesperson told Swedish news agency TT.
Witness have described a scene of chaos, panic and terror in the moments after the attack took place.
“I saw hundreds of people running; they ran for their lives before the truck crashed into the Ahlens department store,” a witness explained to the newspaper Aftonbladet.
Another added: “We were running, we were crying, everyone was in shock. We rushed down the street, and I glanced to the right and saw the truck. People were lying on the ground. They were not moving.”
The attack comes just two weeks after a terrorist attack in London saw a car mow down pedestrians on Westminster Bridge.
More as we get it…
